


Unknown Man

by TeekiJane



Series: The Boys of Summer [9]
Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-17
Updated: 2013-09-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 21:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/970439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeekiJane/pseuds/TeekiJane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vanessa takes her driving test, but she's more interested in the guy who knows more about her than she does about him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unknown Man

_Can you remember what you’re looking for_  
_Was it the answer of love?_  
_Can you tell me where you’re coming from_  
_Protect the naked life_  
Mob Rules, Unknown Man

**Vanessa**

I was sitting in the waiting area of the department of motor vehicles, waiting to take the driving portion of my license test. I had just turned seventeen a few days earlier. 

I was scared shitless. 

I had been waiting alone for about ten minutes when _he_ showed up. Dad has some goofy-ass rules, and one of them is that, if you’re old enough to get your license, you’re old enough to do everything that is involved in getting the license all by yourself. It actually kinda makes sense from a dad point of view. But, while I generally don’t really look to my parents for much, I’d almost had the urge to yell, “Daddy, don’t go!” when he walked out of the DMV. 

Almost. 

So enough about my dad. I have to tell you about this guy. I didn’t even notice he had sat next to me at first because I was too busy doing shit like trying to remember which one was the blinker and which was the windshield wiper on my dad’s SUV. I was looking down at my hands while I was thinking and suddenly this face appeared in front of me and surprised me. “Don’t I know you from somewhere?” he asked.

I jumped, and it wasn’t just because he’d scared me. I mean, yeah, that was part of it. But the other part was he was absolutely gorgeous. Haley, back before she started hanging out exclusively with gays, would have called him Hottie McStudly. He had an olive complexion, with dark hair and eyes. His eyes were set just the right distance apart and they danced as he spoke. He had an easygoing expression and you could tell from the little lines in the corners of his eyes that he smiled a lot. And his mouth…well, let’s just say that I wanted to kiss him and I didn’t even know him. He could have been a lip model if such a thing existed. Not only were his lips luscious-looking but they were unchapped and much more manicured than most boys I know keep theirs. 

I’m starting to babble, but I just want to make sure you understand how good looking this guy was. I had to seriously double check and make sure I wasn’t drooling before I answered him. “Um,” I said helpfully. I swallowed and gave him a more coherent response. “I’m sure we haven’t met, because I know I’d remember you.” 

Mystery Guy raised an eyebrow to that one. “I think you’re wrong,” he replied. 

I stared him down, trying to recognize him. “Maybe,” I said slowly, “I’d remember where we’ve met if you told me your name.” 

He began to look mischievous, and the expression suited him. “Nope,” he said firmly. “It’s way too much fun, watching you squirm as you try to figure out where you’ve seen me before.” He snapped a rubber band around his wrist and I got a good look at his clothes for the first time. He wasn’t wearing anything spectacular, just a t-shirt in dark green and a pair of camo pants. I’d never thought much of camo before, although I own some, but suddenly, it was my new favorite thing. The guy spoke again. “As for me, I may not remember your name, but I do know where we met. And no, I’m not going to tell you that either.” 

I rolled my eyes at him, trying to pretend I wasn’t that into him anyway. He grinned back and shifted one leg up onto the other knee so that his toe was pointed at me. “This your first time taking the test?” I nodded. “It’s my third. I keep fucking up the driving part. My dad told me…” He put on his best stern Dad expression and although his voice was already pretty deep, he made it deeper. “… ‘You screw up again and you have to wait another year before I let you take the test again.’ I’m not really that scared, because he loves to threaten and then not follow through. And even if he does actually keep his empty threat, I’ll just get my mom to take me instead.” 

My eyes were pretty wide by that point. “You’ve failed three times?” I asked. 

The guy got indignant. “Not three times! No, I’ve failed twice. If I fail again, it’ll be three.” For a moment he got deadly serious and I could see that he was actually worried he might not pass again this time. 

I wanted to offer some words of comfort. I wanted to say something soothing. Hell, I would have even settled on asking for his phone number so I could call him and find out how it had gone. But before I had a chance, a woman came out of a back office. “Vanessa Pike?” she called. I jumped up. 

The guy looked triumphant in learning my name. “Good luck, Vanessa Pike,” he called, “I’m sure you’ll do great.” 

I turned back to the guy and opened my mouth, ready to speak, but the woman spoke up again. “Miss Pike,” she said impatiently, “I haven’t got all day.” 

I took a deep breath and followed the woman. When I met my dad an hour later, I had my license in my wallet. “Did you get it?” he asked.

I was still thinking about Mystery Guy. “Nope.”

Dad furrowed his brow. “Don’t worry. We’ll practice some more. You’ll pass next time.”

I shook myself out of my boy-induced haze. “What?” 

“Your license. I’m sure you’ll pass the second time.” Dad looked at me like I was nuts. 

I opened my wallet and flashed it at him. “What are you talking about?” 

Dad raised his eyebrows. “What are _you_ talking about, Vanessa?” 

I shook my head. “I think,” I said, “that you’d rather not know.” 

I just had to find that guy again.

**Author's Note:**

> Coming soon in The Boys of Summer…  
> Tiffany encounters some surprising resistance when she meets the rest of our gang  
> Byron and Jeff try to stay on Helen’s good side  
> Jordan and Adam have a man-to-man talk (or, in Vanessa’s words, a boy-to-boy talk.)


End file.
